Dead Man's Ransom

When the village of Shrewsbury's own sheriff, Gilbert Prestcote, is taken prisoner by the Empress Maud's forces, its citizens are prepared to exchange him for a man of equal value they have within their possession. But soon after Prestcote arrives for the prisoner exchange, he dies. Was it death by natural causes or a most unnatural murder?

An Excellent Mystery

A mysterious pair of monks, whose abbey has burned down, have come to Shrewbury seeking refuge. Their story is tragic, and Cadfael quickly senses, riddled with half-truths. What dark secret are these strange monks hiding?

The Pilgrim of Hate: The Tenth Chronicle of Brother Cadfael

As England's civil war draws to a close, two travelers arrive at Cadfael's herbarium door: the dark-eyed Ciaran who has vowed to walk unshod as a kind of penance and, his companion, Matthew. When Cadfael's old friend arrives with a tale of murder, the youths' puzzling association becomes darker and more inscrutable.

The Confession of Brother Haluin: The Fifteenth Chronicle of Brother Cadfael

After a miraculous escape from death, Brother Haluin wishes to confess that he was responible for the death of the girl he loved and the baby she was to bear, 18 years previously. Brother Cadfael accompanies a crippled young monk on his journey of penance - a path that leads them into a web of old jealousy and deceit. The mission to beg forgiveness also brings death, and Brother Cadfael investigates.

The Rose Rent: The Thirteenth Chronicle of Brother Cadfael

A wealthy widow rents her house to the Shrewsbury Abbey for the price of a single rose cut from the bush near the house. Shortly before the rent is due, the rosebush is destroyed and the widow kidnapped. Brother Cadfael must discover who stands to gain from these peculiar crimes.

Something Beautiful for God

This is the work that introduced Mother Teresa of Calcutta to the Western world. Malcolm Muggeridge paints a profound and moving portrait of a lady whose love for Christ and the needy has deeply impacted many a life - including the author’s. “For me,” says Muggeridge, “Mother Teresa of Calcutta embodies Christian love in action. Her face shines with the love of Christ on which her whole life is centered, and her words carry that message to a world which never needed it so much.”

The Consequences of Ideas: Understanding the Concepts that Shaped Our World

Sproul's survey of the ongoing impact of history's most influential philosophies urges listeners to take prevailing cultural mind-sets seriously...because ideas do have consequences. The greatest thinkers of all time are impacting us still. From public-policy decisions and current laws to world events, theology, the arts, education, and even conversations between friends, history's most influential philosophies have wrought massive consequences on nearly everything we see, think, and do.

A Quiet Life in the Country: A Lady Hardcastle Mystery, Book 1

Lady Emily Hardcastle is an eccentric widow with a secret past. Florence Armstrong, her maid and confidante, is an expert in martial arts. The year is 1908 and they've just moved from London to the country, hoping for a quiet life. But it is not long before Lady Hardcastle is forced out of her self-imposed retirement. There's a dead body in the woods, and the police are on the wrong scent. Lady Hardcastle makes some enquiries of her own, and it seems she knows a surprising amount about crime investigation...

A Patriot’s History of the United States, Updated Edition: From Columbus's Great Discovery to America's Age of Entitlement

Over the past decade, A Patriot's History of the United States has become the definitive conservative history of our country, correcting the biases of historians and other intellectuals who downplay the greatness of America's patriots. Professors Schweikart and Allen have now revised, updated, and expanded their book, which covers America's long history with an appreciation for the values that made this nation uniquely successful.

Killing Thyme: Spice Shop Mystery Series, Book 3

Pepper Reece's to-do list is longer than the shopping list for a five-course dinner, as she conjures up spice blends bursting with seasonal flavor, soothes nervous brides fretting over the gift registry, and crosses her fingers for a rave review from a sharp-tongued food critic. Add to the mix a welcome visit from her mother, Lena, and she's got the perfect recipe for a busy summer garnished with a dash of fun.

Strangeways to Oldham: The Belchester Chronicles, Book 1

Lady Amanda Golightly of Belchester Towers is a person in complete contrast to the stereotypical image of her upper-class breeding. She is short, portly, and embarrassingly forthright. On a visit to a local nursing home, she unexpectedly discovers a long-lost friend, Hugo Cholmondley-Crichton-Crump - and stumbles upon a murder. The pair turn to sleuthing after Lady Amanda reports her appalling discovery to the local police inspector, who treats her as a silly old biddy with an overactive imagination.

Murder of a Lady

Duchlan Castle is a gloomy place in the Scottish Highlands. Late one night the body of Mary Gregor, sister of the laird, is found in the castle. She has been stabbed to death in her locked bedroom. The only tiny clue to the culprit is a silver fish's scale, left on the floor next to Mary's body. Inspector Dundas is dispatched to investigate. The Gregor family and their servants are quick to explain that Mary was a kind and charitable woman, but Dundas uncovers a more complex truth.

A Man Lay Dead

Wealthy Sir Hubert Handesley's original and lively weekend house parties are deservedly famous. To amuse his guests, he has devised a new form of the fashionable Murder Game, in which a guest is secretly selected to commit a 'murder' in the dark, and everyone assembles to solve the crime. But when the lights go up this time, there is a real corpse....

Master and Commander: Aubrey/Maturin Series, Book 1

This, the first in the splendid series of Jack Aubrey novels, establishes the friendship between Captain Aubrey, Royal Navy, and Stephen Maturin, ship's surgeon and intelligence agent, against the thrilling backdrop of the Napoleonic wars. Details of life aboard a man-of-war in Nelson's navy are faultlessly rendered: the conversational idiom of the officers in the ward room and the men on the lower deck, the food, the floggings, the mysteries of the wind and the rigging, and the road of broadsides as the great ships close in battle.

Artists in Crime

One of Ngaio Marsh’s most famous murder mysteries, which introduces Inspector Alleyn to his future wife, the irrepressible Agatha Troy. It started as a student exercise, the knife under the drape, the model’s pose chalked in place. But before Agatha Troy, artist and instructor, returns to the class, the pose has been reenacted in earnest: the model is dead, fixed forever in one of the most dramatic poses Troy has ever seen. It’s a difficult case for Chief Detective Inspector Alleyn.

Crowned and Dangerous

Nothing is simple when you're 35th in line for the British crown, least of all marriage. But with love on their side and plans to elope, Lady Georgiana Rannoch and her beau, Darcy O'Mara, hope to bypass a few royal rules....

The Nursing Home Murder

Sir John Phillips, the Harley Street surgeon, and his beautiful nurse, Jane Harden, are almost too nervous to operate. The emergency case on the table before them is the Home Secretary - and they both have very good, personal reasons to wish him dead. Within hours he does die, although the operation itself was a complete success, and Chief Detective Inspector Alleyn must find out why....

Publisher's Summary

Cadfael's return to his Welsh homeland for a visit proves a rather discomfiting homecoming when an honorable nobleman turns up in a patch of forest with an arrow embedded in his chest. There are questions about the arrow, the man's daughter needs Cadfael's help, and a very odd burial takes place.

I think this is the pleasantest book I've read in a while - the main and supporting characters are very nice, not hard, cynical or vicious as they frequently are in mysteries. I smiled all the way through and enjoyed the story and the historical aspects thoroughly. Very low-tech by way of forensics - much more about thoughtful, deductive reasoning. The narrator is quite engaging!

These books do a great job of capturing the Middle Ages, the monastic life, & the role the church played in every day life. Add to that great characters, good plots, early forensics, & a narrator whose voice fits the story perfectly, and what's not to love? (Note: I don't care much for the versions read by a woman, simply because there are SO many male characters that it just works better when read by a man.)

This first mystery does a wonderful job of easing the reader into the time & place, and introducing all of the characters.

This is the first entry in the Brother Cadfael series. It introduces most of the continuing cast of characters and is a delight in and of itself. Brother Cadfael, "retired" crusader turned monk and sometime detective is an enjoyable creation by Ellis Peters, and his adventures as a Benedictine Monk in both England and Wales have long be favorites with me.

In this book Brother Cadfael is part of a group traveling into Wales to hunt for the body of long dead Saint Winifred to return to his abby to inspire pilgrims to visit. The Welsh villagers aren't eager to loose their saint, murder takes place, and it is up to Brother Cadfael to find a solution that will bring a measure of justice, mercy, fairness and satisfaction to as many people as possible.

Patrick Tull does a good job of bringing Brother Cadfael and his friends to life.

The first in a long series of historic mysteries that keep you want to experience the adventures of this stout old monk. The narrator makes you see the different characters easily. The different people in the story are well developed and become real and complex. The author is in this story especially able to let the listener step back and look at the happenings with a human and wistful view. One of my most favorite listens ever.

What other book might you compare A Morbid Taste for Bones to and why?

To Say Nothing To Say About The Dog. by Connie Willis. This book is much slower in pace, but has also great writing and fun.

What does Patrick Tull bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Tull makes Catfael rounder and sturdier and more humorous and human, more forgiving.

This is a wonderful mystery in a historical setting beautifully read. The characters and setting are well developed with a level of detail that lets you really get to know them and "see" them, too. Patrick Tull's voice telling the story is perfect-you will quickly be immersed in Brother Cadfael's world.

A terrific book that is also a wonderful audio book. Thoroughly enjoyable.